Concrete upgrade in record time

In April of last year, the Slovakian company DOSA Beton needed only one and a half weeks to completely renew its concrete plant. This was made possible by the EUROMIX 1600 NOVA 128-4 L mobile mixing plant from SBM Mineral Processing, which was delivered "ex BAUMA" by SBM's Czech distribution partner ALPAM.

The Slovakian concrete manufacturer DOSA Beton is based in Predmier in the north-west of the country, near the border triangle with the Czech Republic and Poland. Conveniently located directly on the D1 motorway, the company uses its own fleet of mixers and pumps to deliver all year round ready-mixed concrete to the region around the medium-sized towns of Považská Bystrica and Žilina and also supplies dry mixes. In addition, the company produces precast concrete elements for building construction and civil engineering.

The company's management team, led by owner and managing director Miroslav Mucha, had been planning to renew and optimise the production of ready-mix concrete and precast elements for some time. The central point here was to replace the existing stationary mixing plant with a modern mixing plant that meets the increasing demands on production output, concrete variety and quality. The evaluation, which considered not only integration into the existing plant logistics and any necessary construction measures, but above all the shortest possible downtimes during the renewal, also involved SBM's Czech sales partner ALPAM.

Since 2010 the distribution partner specialising in concrete mixing technology has been distributing the complete mixing plant range from SBM Mineral Processing in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and now serves over 50 concrete mixing plants at ready-mix suppliers and construction companies in both countries. The mobile EUROMIX series plants have played a major role in this success. With their highly flexible design and well-graded performance classes up to 175 m³/h, they are particularly well suited to the specific needs of the market.

"The requirements profile at DOSA Beton also clearly favoured EUROMIX technology," explains ALPAM Managing Director Pavel Mráz, "and the customer was able to get an idea of this in advance from various plants, some of which have been in operation for many years." The world premiere of the EUROMIX 1600 NOVA at the SBM headquarters in Oberweis near Gmunden in October 2024 proved to be a real trump card: "Like many of our guests, the managers at DOSA Beton were enthusiastic about the attractive NOVA design, impressed by the significantly increased space within the mixer unit and convinced by the high-quality equipment and workmanship." Already during the event, DOSA Beton decided on "their" NOVA, but left the plant at SBM for the already planned trade fair appearance at BAUMA, as a prominent stopover during delivery in April last year.

Then everything happened very quickly: shortly before the planned assembly mid of April 2025 – the other EUROMIX plant modules arrived – a total of three mobile 69 m³ cement silos, the 128 m³ hopper unit with integrated belt weighing system and the combined control and additive container – arrived at the factory premises in Predmier in just five trailer loads, where DOSA employees dismantled the old plant at the same time. Thanks to the flexible installation options offered by the EUROMIX plant concept, there was no need for costly foundation work, and existing storage and traffic areas could continue to be used. After the NOVA mixing unit arrived and the silos and hopper unit were positioned, the new plant was ready for operation within a few hours thanks to innovative plug-and-play installation of the electrical system and pre-configured control system. Thanks to the excellent cooperation between DOSA employees, ALPAM fitters and SBM supervisors, it took just 10 days from the last batch of the old plant to the first "NOVA concrete".

With the EUROMIX 1600 NOVA's 80 m³/h of hardened concrete output, DOSA Beton has not only nearly doubled its production capacity, but is also adapting its product range to meet the increasing demands for quality and variety in the long term. This is thanks to fully automated control, easily accessible feeding and concrete delivery with low manpower requirements and fast processing.

At the heart of the plant is the BHS DKX 1.67 twin-shaft mixer in the upper part of the NOVA mixing unit, which, according to SBM, now offers 100% more space and 150% improved maintenance accessibility compared to the previous model. Thanks to extensions that can be folded out on both sides of the module, which is only 2.80 metres wide during transport, the large maintenance platform on the mixer can be reached quickly and safely, and the dosing and weighing devices for cement, water and additives located above are also accessible from all sides. In addition to video surveillance in the mixer and impulse-controlled central lubrication, SBM's automatic high-pressure mixer cleaning system also significantly reduces the workload for operating personnel and lowers operating costs, even with frequent recipe changes.

All of the technology, together with the plant's electrical system and compressor, is fully integrated into the enclosed NOVA structure. Its highly effective insulation with plastic panels ensures noticeable energy savings even during normal operation. Additional optional equipment, including the ‘winter package’ with enclosure of the aggregate hopper and transfer system, ensures safe year-round operation even under difficult climatic conditions. This is also the case at DOSA-Beton in Predmier, where the underside of the NOVA mixing module is also insulated and the four chambers of the 128 m³ hopper unit are already prepared for quick and easy connection to a rock heating system.

"The cooperation with ALPAM and SBM was excellent," says DOSA Managing Director Mirosłav Mucha after completion of the renewal, emphasising in particular the short downtime during the work. And the result is also impressive: "Even from a distance, the EUROMIX 1600 NOVA signals to our customers that we are investing in the future. And we keep the promise of the design by delivering even better concrete quality and full availability, even during peak demand periods." In addition, there is a whole new level of flexibility in production programme and the range of services, particularly thanks to the high mobility of EUROMIX technology. 

Technical data SBM EUROMIX 1600 NOVA